The Eternity of God, and Man’s Frailty
A Prayer of Moses the man of God.
“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
You turn man to destruction, and say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. You carry them away like a flood; they are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers.
For we have been consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath we are terrified. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance. For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; we finish our years like a sigh. The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Return, O Lord! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil. Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.
This psalm might be one of the loveliest ever written. This is the only psalm attributed to Moses, and he has written it out of long experience. We don’t know how old Moses was when he wrote this psalm, but we do know that Moses lived a total of 120 years. Moses might have written this close to the end of his life when he was reflecting on everything that God had done for him.
“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” In the poem “The Death of the Hired Man,” Robert Frost observes that “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” Although we can’t force God to do anything, God out of His graciousness offers us refuge.
“You turn man to destruction, and say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. You carry them away like a flood; they are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers.” During Moses’ long life, he has watched thousands if not millions of friends and loved ones die. Life expectancy during Moses’ time is roughly 35 years; hence, all those who have refused to believe God will lead them into the Promised Land die during the 40 years’ journey through the Wilderness.
“For we have been consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath we are terrified. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance. For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; we finish our years like a sigh. The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” If ever there were a group of people who witnessed God’s wrath first-hand, it was the Israelites under Moses! Rebellious priests were consumed by fire from heaven or even swallowed up as the earth opened under their tents. The Israelites watched in horrified fascination as God inundated the most powerful army on earth, sweeping them away. When God descended on Mount Sinai, the mountain was covered with smoke and fire and earthquakes shook the land. Little wonder then, if Moses begs for God to give hearts of wisdom after all these events. If you can’t learn anything from all this, there’s little hope for you.
“Return, O Lord! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil. Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.” Nobody has witnessed more of God’s miracles or His wrath than has Moses. But God has already warned the Israelites through Moses that they will fall away from Him into idolatry. Moses must be wondering if there will be anything left after all his toil and suffering. Little wonder then, if Moses begs God to “Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us…”
APPLICATION: The older I get, the more I can identify with Moses in this psalm. We have spent decades working in remote hospitals in northern Ghana with mixed results. The older we get, the faster time passes until it seems to be whizzing by at warp speed. In these last few years we have lost many long-time friends and co-workers, some of them younger than us. At times we have watched in horrified fascination as well-intentioned people have demolished accomplishments that have taken us years of work.
We have no home in America; our only home is a house in our little village, and even that is hospital property. In the last few months, two ladies who have previously offered hospitality in America have gone to be with Jesus. We have to remind ourselves that God has been, is, and will be our dwelling place for all generations.
“ Return, O Lord! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil. Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.” As we age, this is our prayer.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we lift our lives up to You and lay them in Your hands. Thank You that You ARE our dwelling place, a refuge and a shelter in troubles. Lord, help all who read these words to trust You, for You alone are worthy of that trust. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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